Former President Obama describes his bond with Jay Z
Jay Z made history Thursday by becoming the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The man who helped present the award was another trailblazer, the nation’s first black president, Barack Obama. The two have much in common, as Obama mentioned in his speech.
Perhaps the most immediate thing they have in common, though, was that neither man was actually at the event. Obama gave his speech in a prerecorded video, and Jay Z tweeted about it later. E! reported the rapper was not able to attend the awards gala in New York City.
In the video, Obama named and congratulated all the inductees before turning to Jay Z (given name Shawn Carter), whom he called “a true American original.”
“I like to think Mr. Carter and I understand each other,” Obama said. “Nobody who met us when we were younger men would have expected us to be where we are today.”
The former president continued, highlighting some of the personal difficulties both men faced and, in their own ways, overcame.
“We know what it’s like not to have a father around,” he said. “We know what it’s like not to come from much, and to know people who didn’t get the same breaks that we did. So we try to prop open the door of opportunity so that it’s a little easier for those who come up behind us to succeed as well.”
Obama sprinkled in a bit of his signature wit, as well, saying, “Jay and I are also fools for our daughters, although he’s going to have me